Furios paying their dues

The Furios are changing as fast as the guitar stomp of ska. With the addition of a trombone player (Pedro) and subtraction of a keyboardist, their new melodic punk sound includes more ska this time around.

"We go along with the whole southern California scene, although the more original punk think comes from the UK," says drummer Sean Kight. "A lot of our melodies now come from guitar or the horns."

Jethro plays bass guitar, with Kyle on vocals and guitar, rounding out the new Furios sound.

As part of the Alternative Concert Series at the Boot, the Furios team up with Marlinspike this Sunday.

Steadily gaining a following, the band recently played Garf’s, where the show turned into a mosh pit as a few beer bottles went flying by.

"That’s what it’s all about, though – the energy thing, when you’re playing live," says Kight.

"Whistler’s one of our favourite spots to play. After that two hour drive you’re just ready for it!"

The band regularly plays at the Picc Pub and the Purple Onion in Gastown, where Jay of from Sea Side Studios hired them. Sea Side gave the Furios four hours of recording time for their second place finish at Vancouver’s Battle of the Bands last year.

"Like reggae music, sometimes our songs are extremely slow and sometimes very fast," says Kight. "There is a punk-rock influence as well, with some the tracks more danceable, while originals like Caught Red-Handed, one of the latest, having more meaning in the lyrics."

In true off the cuff style, the band does not write down musical scores in a traditional way.

"Once we sort out the songs, and the notes, (the song) is pretty much in the brain and that’s it," he says.

With different job schedules, the Furios record what they can, when they can at Columbia Academy, on the corner of Hemlock and Broadway.

"There were more hip hop, mellow sounding beats in our old stuff, on the Headhunter CD, where the keyboard sound was really brought out. Now when I record, Kyle sings vocals and plays guitar in the nearby studio, which I’ve got plugged into my headphones, and I lay down the tracks that way," says Kight.

The Furios have played alongside Bif Naked at the Barfly, in New Westminster and several all ages shows where their main audience of skateboarders and punk rockers linger. Keen to record but busy with a playing schedule, the band hopes to record demos as soon as possible. Their goal at this point is to be the opening act for a band at the Commodore.

"Sure, why not? We’re working on it!" laughs Kight.